Outfitted in body armor and armed to the teeth thanks to Biden’s latest budget, IRS agents raided Great Falls’ Highwood Creek Outfitters Wednesday, according to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. Showing up unannounced on June 14th, the agents stormed in behind Tom Van Hoose, the owner of Highwood Creek Outfitters.
Speaking with KRTV about the incident the next day, Van Hoose said it was not unexpected. He sees the state and federal surveillance his shop receives. Alphabet agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State of Montana, and now the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are frequently seen in the area.
“The fact that they think we make so much money as a gun business that they had to come investigate all the thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars whatever it is we supposedly absconded with, anybody that knows the margins in the gun business knows they’re not that high.”
With no details being revealed about who filed a complaint on his shop, Van Hoose feels like he is left to believe it’s happening across the nation. With politicians targeting the AR and AK semi-automatic platforms, and Van Hoose’s attention toward those popular rifles, he’s a natural target. The way he sees it, this administration is all about trying to take these kinds of rifles away from average Americans.
Van Hoose’s awareness of the situation likely made things easier. He claims the agents were purely professional., and when all that’s said and done, they ‘only’ wanted to confiscate dozens of boxes of ATF form 4473s. These are the National Background Check Forms, and they contain all the pertinent information on gun purchasers or those who attempt to purchase them.
This is something Van Hoose believes in firmly, too. “We have a reputation of dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s because there’s so much legal fun to be had. It’s just not worth doing things that are going to get you in trouble.”
Despite his lack of attitude about the raid, he was prevented from opening until there were only 30 minutes left in the day. That means he only made a single $16 sale for a day’s work. Not much for someone going through such a raid. Then there’s the question as to the privacy of his customers.
For years, one of the biggest concerns behind background checks has been the concern of privacy as well as the threat of confiscation. While a background check would have been done and would certainly be on file at the federal level, it’s easier and simpler to raid and steal all the information.
Van Hoose now must also face concerns about customers themselves being raided because they purchased a firearm from him. Especially if they are enthusiasts who prefer the AR and AK platforms. This isn’t something a gun shop owner should have to be concerned with. The weaponization of the IRS and other alphabet agencies by the Biden administration is causing undue concern and worry amongst the gun community.
Scared customers also tend to spend more money and more regularly. They buy up more firearms, bulk purchase more ammo, and spend more time on the range. The problem is, they won’t spend that money at the shop that just got raided. That’s not a safe place and could make you a target if you do.
That means Van Hoose’s troubles with sales could likely just be beginning. Some will band together to help support him, but not all, and those who do will likely only be purchasing formless pieces and paying in cash. Both things don’t look good for trying to stay in business.
